highway
Americannoun
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highways
plural
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a main road, especially one between towns or cities.
the highway between Los Angeles and Seattle.
- Synonyms:
- interstate, thruway, freeway, expressway
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any public road or waterway.
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any main or ordinary route, track, or course.
noun
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a public road that all may use
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law a main road, esp one that connects towns or cities
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a main route for any form of transport
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a direct path or course
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of highway
before 900; Middle English heyewei, Old English heiweg. See high, way 1
Compare meaning
How does highway compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A highway is a busy road with many lanes. Highways are usually the quickest route for driving between one city and another. Highways were originally built to connect cities and towns, and since they're wide and have high speed limits, they decreased the travel time. Highways are always considered public land, and they're usually maintained by the individual state. The Old English precursor was heahweg, "main street" or "main way." The word high has often been used to mean "main" or "major," especially when describing a street.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
By Monday, the highway had reopened and the campus was calmer, but heavily policed.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Potential applications include concrete pavements, highway parapet walls, and sewer pipelines.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
For every dollar that a highway officer earned in compensation last year, the state paid 71 cents toward his pension.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Movie people were stranded on Lookout Mountain, and in Malibu, where a highway patrolman managed to ferry milk to director Frank Capra’s children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
We fly past yet another highway exit, this one featuring just two gas stations and a sketchy motel.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Roberts said he was delighted that the initial highways work could now start on site thanks to the persistence and partnership of all involved.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Transurban has agreed to buy Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s stake in companies that own the Westlink M7, NorthConnex and WestConnex highways for A$4.5 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
There could be “life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses,” the agency said in the warning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
In July, Oxfordshire County Council was granted a High Court injunction to stop people placing flags near highways because of safety concerns, trespass and obstruction.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
The mobile companies concentrated their cell phone sites along highways, hoping to capture business from bored motorists.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
